Automatic gun



Dec. 15, 1925- 6 H. M. ROCKWELL AUTOMATIC GUN Original Filed Jan. 17, 1919 QMM Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

HUGH M. ROCKWELL, OF BRISTSL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGI'TOR. BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE MIABLIN FIBEARIVES CGRIPGRATION, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTI- OUT, A CORPORATION OF DELA'WARE.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

Application filed January 17, 1919, Serial No. 271,740.

To all 10740712. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Hooii M. Rooiiwnnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a -certain new and useful Improven'ient in Automatic Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in an automatic gun of the type commonly known as the heavy Browning. When it was desired to use a gun of this type on airplanes, several features -of it made the use thereof difiicult. Some of these features have been disclosed and the improvements made on the gun to do away with the disadvantages thereof set forth in my copending applications Serial No. 271,739, filed January 17, 1919, and Serial No. 271,741, filed January 17, 1919. This application deals with still other objectionable features.

In a gun of the above-mentioned type, it was the practice to provide as a wall for the rear end of the receiver a plate carrying a tubular member projecting some distance beyond the rear of the gun. Contained within this tubular member were a number of fiber washers; and in the plate, with its rear end in contact with the washers, was mounted the buffer, against which the breech-bolt struck on its rearward travel. For ground work, the rearwardly-extending member presented no particular disadvantage, but for airplane work, it helped to make the gun unwieldly and awkward because it increased the length of the gun. Space being at a premium in an airplane, anything that took up room, especially by projecting into the gunners cockpit, was highly objectionable. It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a novel buffer carrier which is small and compact, thereby reducing the length of the gun, resulting in facilitating the handling thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a means whereby the breechbolt may be retained in its rear position, the means being of such a character that it may be released by simply moving the breech-bolt to its extreme rear position. Then, a release of the bolt will allow the same to return to the firing position. The engaging means is of such a character that it may readily be moved into operative posi- Rcnewefl September 25, 1925.

tion by a finger of the same hand that grasps the charging slide handle, thus lcaving the other hand of the operator free.

Referring now to the drawings.- Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the backplate and buffer;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the holding means; and 7 Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same.

The reference character 1 designates the receiver and 2 denotes the breech-bolt. Detachably mounted at the rear end of the receiver is the housing or buffer carrier 3, which is attached to the receiver by the engagement of the tongues 4: with suitable grooves in the receiver and held in position by any suitable means, as, for example, by a yielding pin 3*. The housing 3 is boxshaped and has one open side. In a recess on the inner side of the front wall is seated the head 5 of the plunger 6 which projects through the wall; interposed between the head 5 and the rear wall of the housing is the bow-shaped spring or resilient member 7. Alining openings 8, 9 and 10 in the rear wall, resilient member and front wall, rese-pectively, may be provided to receive and support a guidepin extending into the re ceiver, but which is not shown in the drawings, inasmuch as it has no bearing on the invention.

The charging handle 11 is carried by the breech-bolt 2 and reciprocates in the slot 12- in the receiver 1. Pivotally and detachably mounted on the wall of the receiver, above and a little to the rear of the slot 12, is the latch or hook 18. On the shank of this hook is provided a finger-piece 1a and on the opposite side is a button 15, which at times seats in the depression 16, to hold the latch in its inoperative position. In Fig. 1, the latch is shown in its operative position, and the breech-bolt is held in the rear end of the receiver. When it is desired to let the bolt travel to the forward end of the receiver, the handle 11 is grasped and pulled rearwardly. The handle engages the shank of the hook and exerts a camming action thereon, forcing the hook down into its inoperative position. If the handle is now released, the bolt will travel to its forward position. To engage the hook with the handle, it is necessary only to bring the bolt to its rear position, and then with a finger of the hand that is grasping the handle lift up the hook by means of the finger-piece 14.

lVhile the drawings in this application illustrate the invention as applied to an. automatic gun of the heavy Browning type, I

do not limit myself to the use of this invention in connection with said type of gun, but claim it in its application to any gun in which conditions make my invention applicable.

That I claim is,-

1. In. a gun, a receiver, a member therein adapted to be reciprocated at each opening and closing of the breech, a housing removably carried by said receiver, and an arcuate resilient member mounted in said housing, said resilient member being adapted to cushion the rearward thrust of said reciprocating member.

2. In a gun, a receiver, a member therein adapted to be reciprocated at each opening and closing of the breech, a housing removably carried by said receiver, a buffer mounted in said housing and adapted to be engaged by said reciprocating member, said buffer comprising an arcuate resilient member.

3. In a gun, a receiver, a housing carried by the rear end of the receiver, a breechbolt movably mounted in the receiver, a plunger in one Wall of the housing, and an arcuate resilient member interposed between the plunger and the opposite wall of the housing.

L-In an automatic gun, a receiver, a breech-bolt slidab'ly mounted therein, a housing carried by the receiver at its rear end, a plunger mounted in the front wall of the housing, and a bow-shaped resilient member interposed between the plunger and the rear wall of the housing.

5. In a gun having a charging handle operating in a slot in the receiver, an arm pivotally mounted on the receiver above the slot and to the rear thereof, and a for Wardly-extending upturned hook on said arm adapted to engage the charging handle.

6. In a gun having a charging handle operating in a slot in the receiver, means for retaining said charging handle in one position comprising an arm pivoted above and to the rear of the path of travel of said charging handle, said arm having a hook member adapted to extend under and engage said charging handle.

7. In a gun having a charging handle operating in a slot in the receiver, a hook to hold said charging handle in one position,

said book being released from said charginghandle upon rearward movement of the charging handle.

8. I11 a gun having a charging handle operatingin a slot in the receiver, an arm pivotally mounted on the receiver to the rear and above the slot, a hook on said arm adapted to extend under and engage the charging handle, a fingerpiece on said arm, and means to retain said arm in an inoperative position.

9. In a' gun having a charging handle operating in a slot'in the receiver, an arm pivotally mounted on. the receiver to the rear of the path of reciprocation of the handle and adapted to extend across said path to the rear of said handle, and a hook on said arm to engage said handle.

10. In a gun having a charging handle operating in a slot in the receiver, an arm pivotally mounted on the receiver to the rear of the path of reciprocation of the handle and adapted to extend across said path, a hook on said arm, and means to maintain said arm in inoperative position.

HUGH M. ROCKWELL. 

